Cillian's magic night on TV talent show
EMOTIONAL Mornington teenager with autism wows judges
A Mornington teenager with autism who wowed the judges on on Britain’s Got Talent says he wants to inspire other young people who struggle socially.
Magician Cillian O'Connor (13) got four 'Yesses', with Simon Cowell branding him “amazing.”
The youngster wowed the judges with his impressive magic tricks, heroically overcoming autism and dyspraxia to get a standing ovation from the audience and celebrity judges, and a ticketto the next round.
The Drogheda Grammar school student tugged on the heart strings with his story of how performing magic had helped him overcome the social awkwardness that came with his autism and brought the judges to tears.
"I started crying when I got the four yesses, I couldn't see anything in front of me I was tearing up that much," said Cillian.
"It was the best day of my life," he added.
"It has been my dream to perform on Britain's Got Talent and also to show other people who struggle socially that they should try to find something that will help them express themselves be it magic, music, or art."
His mother, Elaine says it is "a dream come true" for her talented son. She added:"We are just so proud of him. That has been his dream for so many years to get on that stage. It has been an unbelievable journey to get there, he has had to overcome so much.
"We had a watch party in the Village Hotel on Saturday and there was a lot of us there, I actually recorded his reaction and he was balling, but they were happy tears!"
It was a poignant moment for the teen who became ‘obsessed’ with magic after watching aspiring magician Issy Simpson’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent a number of years ago.
"It's full circle from Issy Simpson who inspired him and we are hoping that Cillian can inspire other people in the same way," added Elaine.
"Cillian tells his story through the magic. Cillian he lets the magic do the talking for him and when he puts that little hat on, he's in his own world.
The Mornington schoolboy is the youngest member ever of the Society of Irish Magicians. Membership usually requires a formal audition but Cillian’s talent was spotted and he was instantly fast-tracked. He is also a junior ambassador for Marvin's Magic and has performed in Arnotts, Brown Thomas and Hamley's in London.
Elaine says magic has "opened a new world" up for her son.
"Magic has changed Cillian's life because he can actually go up and talk to people now and have a conversation. He uses magic to express himself. He doesn't just do magic, he plays chess but he will always have a trick in his pocket! I think we all need to have a trick in our pocket sometimes!"